Integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics to analyze the differences of breast muscle quality and flavor formation between Daweishan mini chicken and broiler
The quality and flavor of chicken meat are influenced by muscle metabolites and the genes that regulate them, with molecular mechanisms affecting meat quality differing across chicken breeds. In this study, 40 one-day-old Daweishan mini chickens (DM) and Cobb broilers (CB) were selected, with 4 replicates of 10 chickens per group. All chickens were raised under identical management conditions until 90 days of age. At this point, metabolomic and transcriptomic data from DM (n = 4) and CB (n = 4) chickens were integrated to investigate the metabolites influencing breast muscle quality and flavor, as well as the key genes regulating these metabolites. The analysis revealed 38 significantly different metabolites (SDMs) and 420 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the breast muscle of the two breeds. Variations in amino acid and lipid metabolism were identified as possible causes of differences in meat quality and flavor between DM and CB chickens. Key metabolites involved included L-methionine, betaine, N6, N6, N6-trimethyl-L-lysine, L-anserine, glutathione, glutathione disulfide, L-threonine, N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid, succinate, choline, DOPC, SOPC, alpha-linolenic acid, L-palmitoylcarnitine, among others. Correlation analysis identified important regulatory genes closely linked to UGT8-IN-1 flavor-related amino acids (GATM, GSTO1) and lipids (PPARG, LPL, PLIN1, SCD, ANGPTL4, FABP7, GK, B4GALT6, UGT8, PLPP4). A gene-metabolite interaction network was constructed to explain the formation of breast muscle quality and flavor in DM chickens. This study demonstrated significant differences in breast muscle metabolites between DM and CB chickens, primarily in amino acid and lipid profiles, which are likely the main factors behind the variations in meat quality and flavor. Overall, this research provides a theoretical foundation for future studies on the molecular regulation of breast muscle quality and flavor differences between DM and CB chickens, and offers valuable insights for developing and breeding high-quality meat chicken varieties.